Temptation is the apparently the alternate route, manga name's Negima Neo, also available at onemanga I think. A lot less serious business. Fanservice up, silliness up, anime stuff up.
Yeah, it's a manga loosely based on the "Negima!?" anime, and not written by Ken Akamatsu.
Note that Chachazero does not look as "friendly" as normal. From what I've heard the Pactio system works entirely differently, Negi's sister is some kind of superhero, and Asuna is obsessed with the chupacabra.
EDIT: On another note, I find it oddly hilarious that the "!?" opening tells you absolutely nothing about the show Heck, this would be better.
Saying any interpretation of Chacha0 is even
remotely friendly is like saying Ku:Nel is a harmless old goof in a robe. There's acceptable lies, and then plain old BS.
The Neo series is rather entertaining. I'll edit with an explanation after my computer restarts (stupid updates).
Edit:
Starts off with Negi's graduation ceremony and him getting his diploma and task at Mahora. Unlike CH1 from the real series, which just showed him at graduation day, this actually shows the test he and Anya took. CMoA for Negi right off the bat.
CH 2 starts with the revelation that Negi's to teach at Mahora. Oh, and Chamo pops up within 7 pages. Asuna gets exposed to magic damn-near instantly (the scene in CH 1 from the real series, where Nodoka nearly falls off of the stairs? Replace Nodoka with Asuna, and you have the first part). She doesn't catch on right then. Oh, and Setsuna and Konoka don't have that whole silence thing they did (Setsuna's a major character off the bat). Takahata introduces Negi to the class the first time. Asuna doesn't catch onto the magic in CH1 like the original has it, though she is suspicious of Negi. Fan Service from Asuna.
Neo then skips the next two manga's worth of filler and introduces Eva. Fan Service from Konoka and Asuna. Maki also isn't comatose after the attack (she even shows the bite marks). This chapter is where Asuna gets the whole Chupacabra addiction, and Paru decides to run with it (like her crazy mind is capable of). Eva's a bit more of the traditional Vamp now, and Konoka is the trigger-victim instead of Nodoka. End CH2.
CH3 starts off where CH2 ended, but Takahata plays the Big Damn Hero, then Eva the tip of the Magnificent Bitch-iceberg she is by taking Takahata out of the picture for the fight's duration (he's unharmed, but Eva got serious points for style and foreshadowing with this one).
That's a teaser. I haven't read it in a few months, so I need to refresh myself with the series before I can give a good overview. But here's an example of how the series is paced: The whole Kyoto trip? Kotaro? Fate? They get victimized by Adaptation Decay. The entire Kyoto Trip arc takes place in Chapter 29 instead of filling up mangas 4-6, and it's just Konoka and Setsuna delivering the letter to Eishun instead of Negi. That's also where the two get frisky and run into Tsukuyomi (sic).
Yeah, pretty much nothing happens but Patcios between Negi and the main Nakama from Chapters 3-18. The pacing is varied, and there's more focus on the school's whole masquerade than on finding Nagi.